INDIGENOUS CITIZEN SCIENCE IN TRADITIONAL BLACKFOOT ... · Spring 2018 Data collection, wildlife,...

Advancing Citizen Science in Alberta: Changing Perspectives, Breaking Barriers WorkshopAllard Hall, MacEwan University – Edmonton, Alberta

September 26 & 27, 2018

Advancing Citizen Science in Alberta: Changing Perspectives, Breaking Barriers WorkshopAdvancing Citizen Science in Alberta: Changing Perspectives, Breaking Barriers Workshop

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INDIGENOUS CITIZEN SCIENCE IN TRADITIONAL BLACKFOOT TERRITORY & THE CROWN OF THE CONTINENT ECOSYTEM:

Blackfoot Science, Bison Repatriation & theEarthwatch-Kainai Community Fellows

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1. EARTHWATCH-KAINAI CITIZEN SCIENCE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

BACKGROUND:- In October 2012, an acquaintance and Facebook friend of Cristina Eisenberg

(Chief Scientist, Earthwatch Institute), Kevin Van Tighem (conservationist, author & retired Superintendent of Banff National Park) suggested Cristina befriend Narcisse Blood on Facebook.

- Narcisse Blood was a Blackfoot (Kainai) elder, teacher, artist, film maker & an advocate of sustaining the Blackfoot language & culture.

- Narcisse befriended Cristina & they met face-to-face in Waterton in August 2013.

- They spent the evening trading stories & at the end of the evening, Narcissesaid “I want you to do the research you do…on our land”.

- Narcisse had read Cristina’s books (The Wolf’s Tooth & The Carnivore Way) and thought the research Cristina was doing could initiate effective conservation research and sustainable management on tribal lands.

- A friendship began that eventually led to the Earthwatch-Kainai Citizen Science Research Partnership.

- A partnership initiated by the late Narcisse Blood began to materialize in 2016 through discussions with Earthwatch (Cristina Eisenberg) & members of the Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association (KEPA).

- A proposal was developed & submitted to the Blood Tribe Chief & Council and in April 2017, the Earthwatch Institute (based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and the Blood Tribe came to an agreement to begin a 3 year partnership to conduct research on Blood Tribe lands (Blood Reserve & the Blood Timber Limit) with the assistance of Kainai Fellows and Earthwatch volunteers.


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Goals: In keeping with the Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association (KEPA) Strategic Plan unanimously adopted by the Council in 2016, and Article II (Conservation) of the Buffalo Treaty, the goals of our project are to:

Help establish environmental and sustainable controls and options for the Blood Tribe (Goal #3)

Incorporate traditional knowledge and values into daily operations (Goal #4) Prepare and plan for environmental changes and critical issues (Goal #5) Protect ecosystems and resources within Blackfoot Territory (Goal #6)

Objectives: To that end, we propose to support the Blood Tribe by helping:

Identify, collect data on, and assess activities that impact the environment (Objective #3.1)

Create field education, work, and collaboration opportunities involving Elders and youth (Objective #4.1)

Identify, assess and establish baseline data on changes and critical issues (Objective #5.1)

Map environmental changes and critical issues in Blackfoot Territory (Objective #6.1)


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Questions:The baseline data we propose to gather will answer the following questions:

Q1 What is the ecological condition of the grassland in Beebe Flats? Q2 What is the ecological condition of the aspen in Beebe Flats? Q3 What is the presence/distribution of the large herbivores and large carnivores in this landscape? Q5 What is the land cover of aspen and grass in Beebe Flats? Q4 What ecological restoration activities are indicated to meet Kainaigoals?

Inventory Timeline:This project will consist of three phases: 1) assessment, 2) restoration, and 3) monitoring, with the current work focusing on Phase 1.

We are following the schedule in Table 1, which has been approved by the Blood Tribe Chief & Council, with all activities to take place at Beebe Flats and other sites identified as elk winter range within the Blood Timber Limit.


Date ActionSpring 2016 Submit proposalSpring 2016 KEPA presentation and field tripSummer 2016 Scope Blood Timber Limit (BTL) study siteSummer 2017 Data collection, aspen, grass, BTLFall 2017 Preliminary data analysisWinter 2017-2018 Prepare and submit report and databaseSpring 2018 Data collection, wildlife, BTLSummer 2018 Data collection, aspen, grass, BTLFall 2018 Data analysisFall 2018 Develop restoration strategyWinter 2018-2019 Prepare two-year report, with assessment and restoration planSpring – Summer 2019 TBD depending on ecological restoration to be implemented

Research Timeline1. EARTHWATCH-KAINAI CITIZEN SCIENCE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

• Establish plots in aspen and grass habitat; • Assess aspen size/age structure; • Assess grassland species composition, including proportion of native and

non-native species;• Measure elk presence and herbivory in this landscape on a fine scale; • Collect data on hooved animal and large carnivore presence, using non-

invasive methods (pellet transects); • Collect data on traditional Kainai use of fire, plants and animals in this

ecosystem;• Map extent of aspen cover.

Methods

use of fire, plants and animals in this


• Kainai student data collection and training on methods;• Field technician jobs for tribal members;• Graduate school funding for Kainai tribal members;• Support for Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and

ethnobotany—working with tribal elders and scholars to apply their ecological knowledge to the research;

• Data that can be used to manage natural resources and conduct ecological restoration. Our policy is to share all data we collect always.

What We Contribute to the Kainai First Nation:


• Traditional Knowledge insights on flora, fauna, first foods and the landscape;

• Kainai field technicians who are connected to the landscape;

• Traditional Knowledge—working with tribal elders, ecologists, and leaders, to apply their knowledge to the research;

• Data that can be used to deepen our research.

What the Kainai Can Contribute to Our Study:


1,426 projects105,000 volunteers 10,000 fellows11 million hours ofdata collection

47 Years of Citizen Sciencethat brings together TEK, Western

Science and Restoration Ecology

WLNP/Kainai projects:Forestry and wildlife sampling221 volunteers68 hrs fieldwork/volunteer15,028 hrs data collection/4 yrs


Restoring Fire, Wolves and Bison to the Canadian Rockies

Cristina Eisenberg, David E. Hibbs, Curtis B. Edson, Brenda McComb, and Daniel C. Donato

An Earthwatch Project2014 - 2020

Funding will include work on the Blood Timber Limithttp://earthwatch.org/expeditions/restoring-fire-wolves-and-bison-to-the-

canadian-rockies

http://earthwatch.org/expeditions/restoring-fire-wolves-and-bison-to-the-canadian-rockies

• Earthwatch Institute, founded in 1971, was one of the first to do citizen science.

• Unique “team-based, researcher-facilitated citizen science model” involving scientists/principal investigators from 120 countries around the globe

• Direct training and supervision in field, data collected/entered/analyzed under direct guidance of PI/field research team to ensure data QA/QC

• Participants can be members of the general public or community members, teachers, and students supported by fellowships.

• Over the years, Earthwatch-supported scientists working with participants (also called volunteers) have produced hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, contributed to management plans on local and global scales, helped establish protected areas and helped prevent species extinctions (Chandler et al. 2016).

Citizen Science with Earthwatch

http://earthwatch.org/


http://earthwatch.org/

The Traditional Blackfoot Territory included lands in what are now Alberta, The Traditional Blackffofof ot Territory included lands in what are now Alberta,Saskatchewan, Montana and Wyoming and was bounded on the West by the Rocky SSaaasskkkaaatttcchheewwwwaaann, MMMoonntttaaannaaa aaanndd WWWWyyyoommminngg aaanndd wwwwaaass bboouunnddeedd oonn ttthhee WWWWeessttt bbyyy ttthhee RRoocMountains, on the North by the North Saskatchewan River, on the East by the Mountains, on the North by the North Saskatchewan River,r,r, on the East byGreat Sand and Cypress Hills and on the South by the Yellowstone River.

2. FRAMING THE LANDSCAPE & FIELD RESEARCH

The Crown is internationally recognized for its biodiversity andlandscape form. In relatively short distances and small areas,landscapes range from flat grasslands to soaring peaks; from rockand ice to lush forests; from uninhabited wilderness to densely-populated settlements. This varied landscape sees a likewise variedrange of wildlife species and vegetation communities. A fullcomplement of large carnivores and ungulates can be found in theregion, and valleys in the Crown of the Continent serve as importantwildlife movement corridors, representing one of the last areas withthe potential for such large-scale connectivity.

The 'Crown of the Continent' ecosystem is one of NorthAmerica's most ecologically diverse and jurisdictionallyfragmented ecosystems. Encompassing the shared RockyMountain region of Montana, British Columbia and Alberta, this28,000 square mile / 72,000 square kilometre ecological complexspreads across two nations; across one state and two provinces;and across numerous aboriginal lands, municipal authorities,public land blocks, private properties, working and protectedlandscapes.

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Y2Y – YELLOWSTONE TO YUKONStretching some 2,000 miles in length (3,218 km), the Yellowstone to Yukon region is one of the last intact mountain ecosystems left on Earth. It is home to the full suite of wildlife species that existed when European explorers first arrived and it is the source of clean, safe drinking water to 15 million North Americans.

Bridging the Divide between TEK and Western Science: Two Study Sites

Waterton Lakes National Park, AB

UNESCO World Heritage SiteBiosphere Reserve, International

Peace ParkOnly 3% of short fescue grassland

left in Canada, most is here.97% intact grassland

Blood Timber Limit, ABWaterton Lakes National Park, AB

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Blood Timber Limit, AB

Tribal Timber Land, 2000 haClosed to non-tribal use since 1960

Illegal introduction of non-native grasses~40% intact grassland

Foothills-Parkland and Montane ecoregionsAll large carnivores present historically, including wolverines and lynx

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Ecological Characteristics of ColonialismA manmade worldMan over nature

Command-and-control management

Killing all the large predatorsKilling all the bison

Clear-cutting forestsDraining wetlands

Eliminating fire

control management

Killing all the large predators

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Colonialism and 1800s “Dewilding”

Banff National Park, AB: Bison Belong

2016 IUCN American Bison Specialist Meeting

Feb. 2017 Bison Reintroduction, Banff

Iinnii Initiative23

Effective Land Restoration Requires TEK/Western Science Partnerships

• Earthwatch Institute (2014 – 2020)• Parks Canada (2006 - )• Kainai First Nation (2016 - )• MTU, OSU• WCS• Iinnii Initiative

Science Partnerships

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Iinnii Initiative

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Waterton Lakes National ParkFire and Elk Ecology and Wolf

Predation Risk Effects in Aspen and Grassland

Communities in WatertonLakes National Park

Blood Timber Limit, ABUsing Traditional Knowledge and

Community Ecology to Assess Blood Timber Limit Health and Sustainability Assess Blood Timber Limit Health and Sustainability

WatertonFire and Elk Ecology and Wolf

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Management Objectives:• Restore rough fescue prairie• Restore aspen stands• Assess bison habitat

Waterton Restoration Background & Objectives

Management Objectives:

Prescribed Fire Date SizeY-Camp May 2008 835 haEskerine April 2014 852 haY-Camp re-burn May 2015 762 haEskerine re-burn May 2017 850 haY-Camp re-burn April 2018 ?

Restoration Background Restoration Background

Prescribed Fire Date

Restoration Background Restoration Background & Objectives& Objectives

Cristina Eisenberg, PhDDavid E. Hibbs, PhD

Nature as a garden tended by benign and frequent fire, often ignited by people or

under their control

Nature as a wild landscape subject to uncontrollable and

destructive fire

Two Views about Fire

• August 30, 2018, lightning strike in southeastern BC, Canada• Fire made its way north and east, eventually crossing into WLNP on Sept

11, 2018. • Raced through the forested valleys overnight, into the Park’s grasslands,

and moving out into lands adjacent to the park in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.

• Burned 140,000 acres with extreme severity• Burned traditional bison lands; did not burn the Blood Timber Limit

Unexpected Extreme Event: Kenow Wildfire

Unexpected Extreme Event: Kenow Wildfire

Our Partnership: Mutual Gains• Kainai student data collection and

methods training• Field technician jobs for tribal

members• Data co-owned, used to manage

tribal natural resources and conduct ecological restoration.

• TEK—working with tribal ecologists, leaders, and elders to apply their knowledge to the research

• Kainai field technicians who are connected to the landscape

• Data that can be used to deepen our research

conduct ecological restoration.

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Eskerine Complex – WLNPPre-Kenow Fire – July 2017

Eskerine Complex – WLNPPost-Kenow Fire – July 2018

ECOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO EXTREME FIRE

Kainai First Nation 54 Community Fellows 2017-18• 37 Kainai High School Student

Fellows• 9 Kainai High Faculty and Mentor

Fellows• 8 Kainai Community Fellows

• 5 – 10 day field data collection in Waterton and on Timber Limit

• Participation by elders

8 Kainai Community Fellows

Blackfoot ScienceBlackfoot Science

3. FIELD RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

During the 2017-18 field seasons, 109 Earthwatch participants joined our project from Canada, the UK, Japan, Spain, Italy and the US. Of these volunteers, 53 were Kainai First Nation Community Conservation Fellows consisting of Kainai High School students, faculty, and community members.

Blackfoot Science

Blackfoot Science:Learning from Our Elders, Ceremony to Honor the Land

Mike Bruised Head

Peter Weasel Moccasin

Mike Bruised Head

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2018 SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY& BISON FEAST

Blackfoot Science: Engaging the Next GenerationBlackfoot Science: Engaging the Next Generation

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Blackfoot Science: Revelations of the

Kenow Wildfire

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Tracking Wolves

Tracking Fire

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4. A WORK IN PROGRESS – NEXT STEPS:Wild Bison on the Blood Band Ranch

MixedMixed-Mixed-grass grass prairieMixedMixedMixed grass grass grass grass prairieprairie100% native grasses

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Established 1930, 19,000 acresEstablished 1930, 19,000 acresConservation land managed for sustainable Conservation land managed for sustainable Conservation land managed for sustainable ranchingConservation land managed for sustainable

SemiConservation land managed for sustainable

SemiSemi-Conservation land managed for sustainable Conservation land managed for sustainable ranchingranchingConservation land managed for sustainable Conservation land managed for sustainable

SemiSemi--Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy Loam14” 14” 14” –

SemiSemiSemiSemi–– 18”

Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamSemiSemi Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy Loam18” 18” 18” Precipitation/

Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamPrecipitation/Precipitation/yrArid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy Loam

yryryryryr, Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy Loam

, 100 Arid, Dark Brown, Sandy LoamArid, Dark Brown, Sandy Loam

100 100 Growing Days

Blood Band Ranch

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Acknowledgments and Questions?

Funding Partners:Funding Partners:EarthwatchEarthwatchEarthwatch InstituteBlood TribeKainaiKainaiKainai Board of EducationParks CanadaOregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityAGL FoundationWhitefish Community FoundationWhitefish Community FoundationDavinWhitefish Community FoundationWhitefish Community FoundationDavinDavin Family TrustFamily TrustFamily TrustEisenberg Family TrustOEisenberg Family TrustEisenberg Family TrustOOur field technicians OOur field technicians ur field technicians and graduate student:and graduate student:and graduate student:and graduate student:Chris AndersonChris AndersonElliot FoxElliot FoxAlex ShadeAlex ShadeDustin FoxDustin FoxJustin Bruised Head

Kansie FoxKansie [email protected]

Cristina EisenbergCristina [email protected]@earthwatch.org

[email protected]@earthwatch.org

ccristinaeisenberg.com

INDIGENOUS CITIZEN SCIENCE IN TRADITIONAL BLACKFOOT ... · Spring 2018 Data collection, wildlife,...

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